Anthropology

[futuresurgeon]

<p>Hello, I am a junior and will beginning my college apps this summer. I am hoping to go premed but was planning on majoring in anthropology. I have been visiting schools, and here is my list so far of schools I am considering:
Rice
Vanderbilt
William and Mary
Notre Dame
WashU
Northwestern
Emory
Tulane
BC
Georgetown</p>

<p>based on what I want to do, which schools would have the strongest programs? I absolutely fell in love with Rice, but am not sure about its anthropology department. Let me know your thoughts, thanks!</p>

[mikemac]

<p>How successful you are in applying to med school depends on what you do in college and not some magic the college has with regards to preparing students for med school. So if you want people to rank colleges on premed I’m sure you’ll find people willing to do it, but I’m not sure how meaningful those rankings will be. There are hundreds of colleges that can give you the opportunity to be a strong med school candidate.</p>

<p>One thing to avoid is placing any importance into acceptance numbers. Some schools boast incredible rates, but it boils down to one of two things. Either they start with great students (think Stanford, etc) or the school weeds out students. Look out especially for the “committee letter” which small schools with average students coming in wield like an axe to prevent all but the strongest applicants from applying right out of college; to no surprise, they often boast 90% or better med school “acceptance” numbers for their undergrads.</p>

<p>There is an excellent online handbook at Amherst I recommend you read to get an understanding of the process and what really matters

What does elevate a student’s chances is to go to an institution (1) that energizes and challenges that particular student academically, while providing good teaching and academic support so the student can meet the challenge satisfactorily; and (2) that provides opportunities for accomplishment and leadership in extracurricular areas. Of course the student must take advantage of these educational and extracurricular opportunities - in the end it’s the student’s accomplishments that count, not the name of the institution.
[Amherst</a> College Guide for Premedical Students](<a href=“http://www3.amherst.edu/~sageorge/guide1.html]Amherst”>Amherst College Guide for Premedical Students)

</p>

[lookingforward]

<p>Big idea, missed by many: go look at the online course catalogs, to see the variety and depth of what’s offered in your major interests. See who teaches, what that person’s background and research interests are, how involved he or she is in the field. It’s an interesting starting point. You’ll find schools with blah and schools with courses and field opps that intrigue you.</p>

<p>The Amherst quote is good. Be prepared for a wilder ride than you expect, in the pre-med classes. After you narrow your list a bit, it might be wise to get feedback from kids who’ve been through those schools’ bio and chem classes.</p>